Behind the Curtain

New to Ultra this year is a huge after party/concert at American Airlines Arena featuring headliners Sasha and John Digweed and rising star Hernan Cattaneo. Last year it signed a co-sponsorship deal with Winter Music Conference, making it the official closing party of conference week. And the organizers continue to bring in influential financial backers such as Andrew Fox owner of clubplanet.com and a concert ticketing business, wantickets.com.

"We funded Ultra, we ticket Ultra through our ticketing company wantickets.com, and ... we are the production company handling all the logistics of the festival," Fox says. "Ultra needed our help on production and rather than having them bring in outside investors we decided to fund it and keep control of the money."

The machinations of industry, however, will probably be the last thing on the minds of the throngs who turn up for a noon-to-midnight marathon of DJs and dancing set in the incredible natural amphitheater of Miami's beautiful Bayfront Park, Ultra's undeniably breathtaking setting. The park's unique arrangement of waterfront knolls and paved terraces creates a space where multiple DJs can play simultaneous sets, and, by careful arrangement of speakers and amplifiers, festivalgoers can move through the various acoustic environments grooving, dancing, or just listening as the mood befits.

In 2004 during Ultra's Saturday-night crescendo, the Chemical Brothers were on the main stage while Baby Anne attracted several dozen break dancers to a thrilling "walk-off" on a smaller side stage, and Tisto played by Biscayne Bay. The Chemical Brothers rocking 40,000 watts of "Hey Girl Hey Boy" amid a sea of glow sticks and weaving human breakbeat dancing is a moment not many in attendance will ever forget.

Many cite the specific vibe as a major draw. "It's not like going to see a band play live, it's like going to a party with thousands of somewhat like-minded, fun, mostly peaceful people ... it feels more like a European event than an American one to me," says Michael Nuckols, who has traveled to the concert for the past five years from Sebring in Central Florida. "I haven't seen the drunken mullet dude with no shirt fighting somebody, which is so prevalent at other large American events. Let's just say that it's a refreshing change from the norm. Go to a football game, go to a Kid Rock concert, you'll see what I'm talking about. The people at Ultra seem to have a collectively higher intelligence."

Dave Lizdas, a native Floridian who went to his first Ultra in 2004, speaks more simply: "It's a charge to wander around with friends and sample all the energy, all night, outside. It's incredibly positive. Being inside a cramped club just isn't the same for me."